Ship docking device



wg |22 W7 A. a.. BURNETT SHIP DOCKNG DEVICE Filed Oct. 20. 1955INVENTOR. JEDEN L. BUFf/ETT United States Patent O 3,336,896 SHIPDOCKING DEVICE Arden L. Burnett, 6301 Nicholson St., Falls Church, Va.22044 Filed Det. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 499,113 14 Claims. (Cl. 11S-7) Theinvention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for theGovernment of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to a ship hauling device and moreparticularly to -a device whereby a ship may be hauled into a drydockand accurately positioned over supporting blocks with the use of aminimum number of personnel.

In the past when a ship was to be laid up for repairs in a drydock therequired maneuvering typically was accomplished by first, positioningthe ship with a tug so that one end thereof was located adjacent thedrydock opening and its length aligned with the length of the basin,next hauling lines were taken from aboard the ship and attached tohauling capstans to provide motive power for the ship, men then tooklines from the bow of the ship as it neared the end of the dock andwalked the lines along the rim of the dock to a suitable location wherethey were temporarily secured to bollards and cleats, tension wasapplied to these lines selectively to control the direction and speed ofthe ships entry to the basin. New lines were taken successively from theship as it moved into the dock and the rst lines moved to bollards andcleats further within the dock until it was completely contained thereinand lastly the nal locating of the ship over the supporting blocks onthe bottom of the drydock basin was accomplished by selectivelytensioning various lines until both ends of the ship Were properlypositioned.

The prior art operation, as above described, is unsatisfactory fromseveral standpoints. One of the most outstanding disadvantages is theexcessive manpower required. Forty or more men are employed during thedocking operation to handle the various lines and capstans andcoordination among them is a constant problem during the period ofinitial entry, during the final alignment over the supporting blocks,and whenever the water level in the basin is changed.

A further defect in the prior art becomes apparen during theaforementioned alignment stage when it is impossible for a singleindividual to keep both ends of the ship under observation at all times,with the result that fore and aft alignment of the ship is exceedinglydifficult.

The device of the present invention is designed to eliminate all of thedefects of the prior art systems by the provision of dockside apparatus,capable of being operated by one man, which expediously performs thedocking and `alignment operations swiftly and accurately with a greatreduction in manpower.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved shiphauling device that reduces the manpower required in the docking ofships in drydocks.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ship hauling devicethat makes final alignment of ships less time consuming and moreaccurate.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a ship haulingdevice which reduces the necessity for the use of tugs both on entry toand withdrawal from the basin.

It is a final object of the invention to provide a ship hauling devicethat can complete an entire docking operation under the operation of oneman.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the invention willbe readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a drydock basin embodying the device of theinvention; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a carriage and winch meansembodying the present invention.

The device of the present invention achieves its many advantages by theprovision of relatively easily controllable means to draw the shipWithin the drydock, with only initial assistance from a tug boat, yandto position the ship at its fore and aft ends with respect to thesupporting blocks on which it is to rest after water removal. Shippositioning begins with the placement by a tug or tugs of an end of theship adjacent the drydock mouth. First positioning means, having one endthereof attached to the land, is then taken aboard the ship and attachedthereto. Lateral movements of this positioning means then will effect arepositioning of the ship within the width of the basin. If a singlefirst positioning means is used it would be a rigid elongated member soas to be capable of both pushing and pulling movements but, if dualpositioning means are used, one on each side of the basin, movement ineither direction is possible by the application of tension alone andeXible positioning means may be employed. Means for applying tension tothe positioning means may be located shipboard or dockside and maycomprise manual or power means, although in the present device the useof power is favored, to reduce the number of workmen required. With thefirst positioning means attached, propelling means are activated to drawthe ship further Within the basin using the positioning means asrequired to effect Widthwise repositioning. Normally a single positionngmeans would not be suiicient for the entire docking operation soadditional positioning means would be sequentially attached to the shipat points spaced from the first positioning means as the ship is movedwithin the basin, so as to achieve the capability of movements to alignthe ship with the length of the basin and/ or the supporting blocks onthe floor of the basin.

The aforementioned propelling means may take several forms and may besimply a single line attached to the end of the ship to draw it in.Preferably however, the propelling means are arranged to draw the `shipwithin the basin by moving the aforementioned positioning means alongthe length of the basin. Suitable for this purposewould be self-poweredcarriages mounting the positioning means. The carriages may be trackmounted, suspended or merely steerable. Their power may be whollyself-contained such as with gasoline engines or by track-suppliedelectric motors. If the carriages are not self powered any other meansfor moving them may be suitable. The use of a hauling device propellingthe carriages by hauling cables attached thereto is specificallycontemplated. The cable may be hauled vby a winch device so as to beoperable in one direction only or may be continuous and hauled by a drumdevice so as to be reversible and usable to propel the ship in eitherdirection.

With any of the above mentioned modifications the provisions ofcentralized control meanswill greatly enhance the utility of theinvention. To make this central control possible, the positioning meansand propelling means are made remotely controllable. This can beaccomplished, for example, by supplying electric power to each of thecarriages carrying the positioning means in such a manner that both themotive power to the carriage and the driving power for the positioningmeans are controllable from a remote location. The remote controllinglocation is selected to give the operator a clear view of the enteringship. To increase the observation of the side portions of the ship andto make the rear observable, various means such as mirrors or televisionsystems may be employed. The rear view of the ship is especiallyvaluable during the final stages of docking when the ship is beingpositioned over the supportingblocks, since perfect alignment must bemaintained in order that the ship come to rest on the blocks properly asthe water is pumped from the basin `and the ship settles. Mirrors couldbe arranged to provide this rear view but television apparatus is moreideally suited to that purpose. For a direct rear view a camera may belocated on the caisson which is moved into position across the entranceof the dock in preparation for pumping the basin.

The general operational concepts of the invention along with variouspossible modifications having been discussed, a preferred embodimentwill now be .described in detail.

In FIG. l there is indicated at numeral a drydock of generallyconventional construction having an endwall 12, and sloping sidewalls 14and 16 visible to the water line 18. Shown entering t-he basin 20 fromthe river or other body of water 22 is a ship 24 being assisted by tug26. Mounted adjacent rims '28 .and 30 of the basin are I-beam rails 32and 34. These rails shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 can be bettervisualized by reference to FIG. 2 where an enlarged cross-section ofrail 32 is shown. Also best shown in FIG. 2 are the rail supportingstanchions 36 being constructed of steel concrete or other suitablematerial and supportingly surrounding one ange 39 `and a portion of theweb 40 of the rail 32 so as to support the web 40 thereof substantiallyhorizontally. Stanchion 36 is securely anchored to the yard oor 42through fastening holes 44 by suitable fastening means (not shown).

Mounted for movement along the rails on either side of the basin arecariages 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60. All the carriages aresubstantially identical and their construction will be apparent from aconsideration of the detailed View of carriage 46 shown in FIG. 2.Carriage 46 is there shown to comprise a substantially U- shaped portionincluding legs 62 and 64 and bight portion 66. Legs 62 and 64 havemounted thereon respectively L-shaped wheel supporting members 68 and 70carrying between themselves and the legs a series of wheels of which,wheels 72 and 74, are visible in FIG. 2. The wheels bear against theinside of flange 76 and allow movement of the carriage along the rail.

Mounted at the end of leg 64 is member 77 which carries a series ofwheels one of which is shown at numeral 78. These wheels cancel therotational components resulting from the carriages own weight andtension from the winch cable.

The winch 80 is powered preferably by an electric motor (not shown), andis carried by the bight portion 66 of carriage 46. The winch includesdrum 82 with positioning cable 84 wound thereon. The other Winchescarried by the other carriages are substantially identical and havepositioning cables 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96 and 98 respectively woundthereon.

As a means of propelling the carriage along the rims 28 and 30,propelling cables are attached to the carriages. An exemplary one ofthese cables is shown in FIG. 2, identified by numeral 100 and attachedto carriage 46 by bracket 102. A second cable end (not shown) would beattached to each carriage if the propelling system is to be madereversible as will be explained more fully hereinafter.

The propelling cables are powered from hauling Winches 104 and 106 whichhave multi-ple section drums 108 and 110. Each of the sections on thedrums can be engaged individually and each carries a cable from one ofthe .four carriages shown ou either side of the basin.

On either side of the basin and near the rear thereof are two televisioncameras 112 and 114. Mounted on the caisson 116 is a third camera 118.The companion receivers to these three sets are installed in the controlconsole of the control tower 120. This tower contains, as well, all thecontrols necessary to operate the carriage Winches and propelling drumsand so centralizes control of the complete docking operation. The towermay conveniently be mounted on a hydraulic cylinder so as to beelevatable for a better View of the ship and basin.

A nal feature yof the preferred embodiment of the invention are the buoybrackets 122 and 124. These brackets are hinged so as to be retractableto prevent interference when they are not required `but are shown in theoperative position with two buoys still contained in each. The buoystherein contained are used to carry the positioning cables and may beoated on the surface of the water at the entrance to the dock to bepicked up from the deck of the ship 24. The lines attached thereto whenpicked up are secured to the ships bollards 126. The brackets 1,22 and124 are, however, designed to eliminate the need to float the buoys byholding them in a position where a `deck hand aboard ship 24 maysequentially puck them one at a time from the bracket. Conveniently thebracket may spring load the buoys toward the opening of the bracketwhere they are held by a suitable catch until hooked by theaforementioned deck hand.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as above described theentire docking operation may be accomplished by a single man atdockside. The operation is commenced by the positioning of the bow (orstern) end of the ship to be serviced adjacent the mouth `of the drydockbasin so that deck crewmen with long poles Imay pick from the buoybrackets the first set of buoys having cables and 92 attached thereto.The loop ends of these cables would then be passed over the iirst of theships bollards 126 and the operator in control tower 120 would take upon the tension of the cables selectively so that the bow of the shipwould be positioned centrally of the basin. The propelling means wouldthen be activated and carriages 52 and 60 would begin to draw the shipinto the basin. When a sufiicient length of the ship had been drawnwithin the basin the second pair of cables would be taken aboard and thesecond pair of VWinches and carriages activated. This process ofsequentially attaching the cables and drawing the ship into the basinwould be continued until the entire set of carriages (in the disclosedembodiment-4 pairs) had been attached. The caisson 116 would then bemoved into position and seated in seat 128. With the caisson in thisposition the camera 118 will view directly the stern of the ship andcameras 112 and 114 will View the sides. Thus the operator will have aclear view of all sides of the ship and will be able to accuratelyposition the ship over the supporting blocks on which the ship must restfirmly when the water is withdrawn from the basin.

To facilitate the use of camera 118 during the precision positioning,the picture it transmits has sighting lines superimposed thereon. Theselines allow initial lpositioning t-o within less than one inch and allowreadjustment to stay Within that tolerance as water is removed. Afterrepair of the ship and the flooding of the basin, the ship may be movedout of the basin with maximum facility if an aforementioned modificationof the preferred embodiment is employed.

The referred to modification is the one whereby the propelling means aremade reversible. This may be accomplished by providing continuous cablesto the carriages and providing a return route for the added cable. Thisroute would essentially be from the carriage involved to idler pulleysnear the open end -of the basin and then to the propelling drums 108 and110. Winches 104 and 106 would be made to include reversible motors sothat the carriages could be selectively moved towards the mouth of thebasin, thereby guiding and propelling the ship into the river or otherbody of water 22 in a manner substantially the reverse of that employedin docking the ship.

In the absence of the described modification the ship ass-36,896

removal would be accomplished by a tug taking a line off the stern ofship 24 and then hauling it toward the body of water Z2. As the ship ismoved out the carriages ywould be pulled along side and their Wincheswoul-d be maintaining the ships position in the center of the basin.

In summary, what has been provided by the instant invention is a dockingdevice that greatly increases the speed and accuracy Vof the docking ofships in drydocks while at the same time reducing the man power requiredand thereby the expense of the operation.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is to be understoodthat within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may bepracticed otherwise than as specically described. For example, thenumber of carriages may difer from the eight shown depending on shipsize, deck size, etc.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for the docking of ships comprising:

a drydock having two sides;

a plurality 4of pairs of positioning means to allow said ship to bemoved from side to side;

means for sequentially positioning and sequentially attaching said pairsof positioning means at respective points along the port and starboardsides of said ship as said ship enters said drydock, said last namedmeans being positioned near the entrance of said drydock; and

propelling means connected to said positioning means to cause themovement of said ship forward and rearward. 2. The device of claim 1wherein said positioning means are supported on said propelling meansand movable therewith.

3. The device of claim 1 which further includes means to keep all sidesof said ship under observation from a single location.

4. A device for the controlled movement of ships into a drydock having agenerally elongated rectangularly shaped basin and openable to a body ofwater at one of the narrow ends thereof comprising:

a plurality of positioning Winches located along the sides of said basinincluding cables for connection to a ship entering said basin;

means for sequentially positioning and sequentially attaching saidcables at respective points along the port and starboard sides of saidship as said ship enters said drydock, said last named means beingpositioned near the entrance of said dock; and

a plurality of propelling means selectively movable along the rim ofsaid basin;

said Winches being mounted on said propelling means to move said shipforwardly or rearwardly in said basin.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said propelling means compriseself-powered carriages mounted on tracks.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein said propelling means compriserail-mounted carriages attached to hauling cables.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said hauling cables are powered fromremotely controllable hauling Winches.

8. The device of claim 4 further including a central control tower forthe co-ordination of the docking operation, television cameras locatedso as to view the sides and rear of said ship, and correspondinglytelevision receivers located in the control tower, whereby all sides ofthe ship are visible therefrom.

9. The device of claim 4 further including I-beam rails mounted alongboth rims of said basin with the webs thereof being maintained in agenerally horizontal position;

said propelling means being constrained to travel along said rail bywheeled portions of said propelling means contacting the ange and webportions of said rail.

10. The device of claim 9 further comprising central control meanslocated at a control tower to selectively activate each of said carriagemeans and winch means.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said control means is selectivelycoupled to said carriage means and said winch means by electrical means.

1.2. The device of claim 9 further including bracket means to removablyconstrain the ends of sai-d cable from said positioning means within apair of brackets located adjacent the open end of said basin.

13. The device of claim 10 further comprising television cameras locatedon either side of said basin and at the open end thereof; and

television receivers corresponding to said cameras located in saidcontrol tower;

said cameras being oriented so as to provide a view of the side and rearof said ship whereby all sides of said ship are visible from said tower.

14. The device of claim 9 wherein said I-beam rails are supported bystanchions;

said stanchions engaging the ange at the opposite end of said web fromsaid ange supporting said carriages.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 955,412 4/1910 Koss 115-81,013,901 1/1912 Schildhauer 11S-8 3,033,152 5/1962 LeTourneau 115--63,034,471 5/ 1962 Aschinger 114-235 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner.

1. A DEVICE FOR THE DOCKING OF SHIPS COMPRISING: A DRYDOCK HAVING TWOSIDES; A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF POSITIONING MEANS TO ALLOW SAID SHIP TOBE MOVED FROM SIDE TO SIDE; MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY POSITIONING ANDSEQUENTIALLY ATTACHING SAID PAIRS OF POSITIONING MEANS AT RESPECTIVEPOINTS ALONG THE PORT AND STARBOARD SIDES OF SAID SHIP AS SAID SHIPENTERS SAID DRYDOCK, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS BEING POSITIONED NEAR THEENTRANCE OF SAID DRYDOCK; AND